SMYRNA, Georgia (SmyrnaVinings.News) — Smyrna has approved drive-through restaurants in its mixed-use zoning district, drawing opposition from residents who questioned how the change fits the district’s pedestrian focus.
The City Council adopted Ordinance 2026-008 on Sept. 21. The ordinance took effect Oct. 1.
The measure passed 4-2, with council members Susan Wilkinson and Rickey Oglesby opposed, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
Where it applies: Drive-throughs remain prohibited in downtown’s separate zoning district, the newspaper reported.
The adopted mixed-use rules permit restaurants with drive-throughs and also list financial institutions, hospitals and pharmacies with drive-through facilities among permitted uses.
Drive-through service areas and lanes within 50 feet of an existing or proposed public sidewalk must be screened with landscaping, to the extent practicable, when they would otherwise be visible from the major pedestrian route.
The pushback: Two residents opposed the amendment during the council meeting, according to the MDJ.
One questioned the pedestrian safety rationale for allowing drive-through restaurants in mixed-use areas while prohibiting them downtown. She cited the comprehensive plan’s call for mixed-use districts to serve as pedestrian-oriented areas.
The other objected to the agenda describing the amendments as consolidations or clarifications rather than identifying specific policy changes.
Mayor Derek Norton said mixed-use areas near downtown have different pedestrian needs than mixed-use districts elsewhere in Smyrna, the newspaper reported.
Housing changes: The amendment also increased permitted residential density from 25 to 40 dwelling units per acre and reduced the minimum floor area for detached homes from 1,800 to 1,000 square feet, according to the MDJ.
The adopted ordinance requires attached homes, condominiums and other multifamily units to average at least 750 square feet. The newspaper reported that the previous requirement was 900 square feet.
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